# BuddyPress <= 12.7.2 - Unauthenticated Sensitive Information Exposure of Hidden Groups via Groups REST API Endpoint

- **ID:** WPSEC-2026-1554
- **Plugin:** BuddyPress (`buddypress`), https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress/
- **Affected versions:** from 12.0.0 before 12.7.3
- **Fixed in:** 12.7.3 (Update to 12.7.3 or later.)
- **Severity:** Medium 5.3 (CVSS:3.1/AV:N/AC:L/PR:N/UI:N/S:U/C:L/I:N/A:N)
- **Weakness:** CWE-200
- **Usage among sites WPSec scans:** plugin Medium, affected versions Low (as of 2026-10-23)
- **Attack surface analysis:** https://attacksurface.wpsec.com/plugin/buddypress
- **Fix released:** 2026-10-22
- **Published:** 2026-10-23
- **URL:** https://wpsec.com/vuln/WPSEC-2026-1554/

## Description

The BuddyPress plugin for WordPress is vulnerable to Sensitive Information Exposure via the 'status' parameter of the groups REST API endpoint in all versions up to, and including, 12.7.2, due to the hidden-group restriction only being enforced when the 'show_hidden' parameter is requested, while a request filtering by status removes the default exclusion of hidden groups. This makes it possible for unauthenticated attackers to list hidden groups and their details, which should only be visible to their members and site moderators.

## References

- https://wpsec.com/vuln/WPSEC-2026-1554/
- https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/buddypress/tags/12.7.3/
- https://wordpress.org/plugins/buddypress/

Source: WPSec, https://wpsec.com/vuln/WPSEC-2026-1554/

License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Free to use, share and adapt, also commercially, if you credit WPSec and link to this advisory.